Coalition for Women’s Health: A campus collaboration

Organized by the University of Alberta Student’s Union (UASU) and Interdisciplinary Women’s Health Association (IWHA), the Women’s Health Social on October 9 centred around women’s and menstrual health advocacy.

It featured multiple student leaders, clubs, and a researcher at the U of A. The evening included personal testimony, policy and research updates, and student group presentations. The evening culminated in the announcement of a new Women’s Health Coalition to foster collaboration across campus.

Tamsett speaks on the importance of women’s health

Megan Garbutt, IWHA vice-president (external), and Sarah Strick, IWHA co-president, opened the event. They announced that the purpose of the social was to bring groups together to advocate for women’s health.

Katie Tamsett, UASU vice-president (academic), was the first speaker of the event. She shared about her struggles with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). She described her years of pain, as well as being dismissed by doctors throughout her life. Tamsett emphasized that her experience reflects systemic issues in women’s health.

“If there was more dedicated research, funding, and awareness around women’s reproductive health, then I strongly believe that I would have received support and recognition sooner,” Tamsett said.

Tamsett stated that she had three goals, the first being policy work. This means gathering the information necessary in order to make policies that support students and the campus community.

The second is understanding the student experience. This involves conducting surveys and research to understand the current knowledge and wellbeing of the student population.

The last goal is education and awareness building. This involves collaborating with clubs like Club Periodically and IWHA to advance education and awareness of menstrual health at the U of A.

“We need you [attendees] to expand our capabilities, to work as a community, to advance education, research, and support, and to contribute to incredible change together,” Tamsett said.

After Tamsett spoke, many of the clubs in attendance has the chance to speak on what they do.

Club Periodically working to promote period equity

Club Periodically’s mission is to promote period equity and sustainability on campus.

One of the events that Club Periodically organizes is repurposing pad wrappers into crafts like earring and notebooks.

The club have also made it their mission to “provide free and accessible menstrual products to students at the U of A, according to their website.

The group spoke about their Green Flow Initiative, aimed at distributing sustainable menstrual products around campus.

The club successfully passed their Period Equity Initiative referendum in the 2025 UASU Elections.

The second speaker was Kshef Kamran, a first–year Master’s of science (MSc) student specializing in public health. Kamran studied COVID-19 vaccine uptakes for pregnant women, focusing on public health gaps for maternal populations.

Kamran spoke about her work with organizations like the Brenda Strafford Foundation and The Mustard Seed, supporting women and individuals experiencing domestic violence and homelessness.

As of now, Kamran is focusing on homelessness and emergency health-care access in Edmonton.

Advocacy for gender equity and mental health

The next speaker was Madison Hollinger, the president of the Women and Gender Studies Students’ Association (WGSSA).

According to their page, the WGSSA is “dedicated to promoting women’s and gender studies to the greater community.”

Hollinger spoke specifically about advocating for gender equity, and raising the visibility of women and gender studies on campus.

The last group to speak was the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)

The CMHA spoke about mental health awareness, advocacy, and support at the U of A. They underscored that mental health is integral to women’s health.

The group mentioned their fundraising of $1,000 to CMHA Edmonton, as well some of their upcoming events, including a mental health symposium in March.

Interview with UASU and IWHA

After the conclusion of the event, The Gateway sat down with Tamsett, Garbutt, and Strick to speak about the event and collaboration between the UASU and IWHA.

Garbutt and Strick expressed excitement about seeing diverse and passionate voices from across campus unite for women’s health. The collaborators all emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the event.

When asked about future directions, all three expressed enthusiasm for continuing the coalition’s work. They noted that nearly ever attendee expressed interest in contributing to the Women’s Health Coalition.

The organizers hope the newly formed Women’s Health Coalition will build lasting partnerships and spark meaningful change in women’s health advocacy across the U of A.

Photos from the event